Gun



J. THOMAS April 19, 1938.

GUN

Filed Oct. 29, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR James Thomas ATTORNEY J.THOMAS April 19, 1938.

GUN

Filed Oct. 29, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 'INVEN James Thomas 3 ATTORNEY 3Sheets-Sheet 3 April 19, 1938. .1. THOMAS GUN Filed Oct. 29, 1936INVENTOR James Tizomas ATTQRN EY "UNITED s'rr s Patented Apr. 19, 1938GUN James Thomas, New York, N. Y., assignor of onefifth to LouisAnastasi, Newburgh, N. Y.

Application October 29, 1936, Serial No. 108,141

5 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements'in a gun.

The invention has for 'a'n object the construction of a gun, or riflewhich is provided with a magazine in its butt for holding bullets, andwhich is provided with a novel arrangement for feeding the bulletsone'at a time to the barrel of the gun.

The purpose of the invention is to modify the present automatics orsmall machine guns, designed and constructed to be carried by infantrytroops and fired without the aid of separate sup- 7 port; also toeliminate certain unnecessary parts, such as drummagazines, belts,breech loaders, etc; which are cumbersome to carry with the gun anddifficult to apply, during the action of 6 bular member and carryingpawls for moving bulletsalong said flanged support.

' The invention furthermore makes use of a repercussion shuttle andbullet grip slidably mounted upon the inner end of the barrel of the gunand arranged for drawing rearwards a fired shell.

The invention also proposes the provision of means for advancing saidcarrier when the shuttle moves rearwards and retreating said carrierwhen the shuttle moves forwards.

Furthermore the invention contemplates the provision of a conveyingmeans at the front end of said tubular member for receiving a bulletfrom said flanged support and lifting it up to said barrel.

The invention also proposes the provision of means for moving saidlifted bullet into said barrel.

. It is another object of this invention to provide cooperating elementson said shuttle and conveying. means for lowering the conveying meanswhen the shuttle moves forwards to a normal position.

.Afurther object of this invention resides in the details ofconstruction of the bullet magazine as will hereinafter be fully pointedout.

Still further the invention proposes the construction of a gun embodyingthe features mentioned which may be manufactured and sold at areasonable cost.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which thevarious novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of thisdisclosure:-

Fig. 1, is a fragmentary el'evational view of a gun, constructedaccording to this invention, with certain portions thereof broken awayto show the interior construction.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the gun shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken on the line 3-3ofFig. -1.

Fig.4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a, perspective view of the bullet magazine per se, illustratedwith one bullet discharging therefrom.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the butt end'ofthe gun showing the bullet magazine partly in section.

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary enlarged detailed view of that portion of thegun in the vicinity of the inner end of the gun barrel.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the tubularmember and carrier for the bullets.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary elevational view of the butt end of the gunwith the bullet magazine partially removed.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the repercussion shuttle and bulletgrip looking in the direction of the line 12-42 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 13 is a view similar to Fig. 7, but illustrating the parts in aposition in which the repercussion shuttle is in its rearward position.

The gun according to this invention includes a hollow butt l0 and abarrel ll connected therewith. A tubular member I 2 extends along thebottom of the hollow butt, so as not to effect the design of the gun asshown in Figs. '7. 10, and 13, and has an open top slot with a flangeportion t2 for supporting bullets, as clearly shown for example in Fig.10. One of the flanges I2= has flexible lugs I2 stamped therefrom andserving as stops to prevent the bullets from moving rearwards. Thesestop elements I2 are sufficiently resilient to allow bullets to moveforwards past them.

A carrier element I3 is slidably mounted within the tubular member I2and carries a plurality of pawls I4. Each of these pawls is mounted on asupport pin I5, and extends forwards, and is held, resiliently, in araised position by a spring I6, (see Figs. 1 and '7). These pawls areadapted to engage against the back ends of the bullets upon the flangesI2 to move the bullets forwards as hereinafter further explained.

A repercussion shuttle and bullet grip I I is slidably mounted upon theinner end of the barrel of the gun, and is adapted to draw rearwards,fired shells. More specifically, the shuttle I! is provided with frontlugs I8 to which rods I9 are connected. Each rod I9 extends forwardsthrough a housing element 20 attached upon the bottom side of the gunbarrel II. A spring 2| is arranged coaxially upon each rod I9 and actsto normally maintain the shuttle I! in its forward position. Thesesprings are sufficiently weak to permit the shuttle I! to move rearwardsa predetermined amount due to the repercussion when the gun is fired.Then the springs 2| are capable of moving the shuttle I! back to itsfront position.

A means is provided for advancing the carrier element I3 when theshuttle moves rearwards and returning said carrier element when theshuttle moves forwards. This means is controlled and operated by a rackfinger 22 pivotally mounted by a pintle pin 23, and extended into thepath of motion of the shuttle. There is also a conveying means at thefront end of the tubular member I2 for receiving a bullet from saidflanges I2 and lifting it up to the barrel II. This conveying meansincludes a conveying element 24 urged upwards by a spring 25 andcontrolled by a cam element 26.

There is also a means for moving the lifted bullet into the gun barreland includes a pin 21 mounted upon the shuttle I1 and urged into anextended position by a spring 28. The cam element 26 is adapted toengage against a portion of the shuttle I1 when the shuttle movesforwards from its rear position for lowering the conveying element 24 toits normal position in which it is ready to receive a new bullet.

The butt ID has an interior hollow communicating with its rear end. Abullet supply magazine 29 engages into the hollow butt and may beremoved from this rear end. This bullet magazine comprises substantiallyan inverted U- shaped member consisting of face portions 2!! and a topconnecting bent portion 29 The face portions 253 are provided with ribs30 engaging grooves 3| formed in the inner faces of the side walls ofthe hollow butt. These ribs and grooves serve to guide the magazine toassume a proper position when it is placed Within the butt.

There is a spring 32 within a recess in the butt and which acts againstthe inner end of the magazine 29 for normally urging it outwards. Thereis a latch element 33 to maintain the magazine in its inner position.This latch comprises an element pivotally supported intermediate of itsends by a pintle pin 34, and adapted to have its inner end engage in anopening 35 in the side of the magazine 29. The outer end of the latch 33may be pushed inwards as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3 to release themagazine. When the magazine is released it will be forced rearwards bythe spring 32.

The magazine 29 is divided by several transverse partitions 36 intoseveral distinct compartments, each adapted to receive a group ofbullets 31. There is a spring 38 in each of the compartments, at thetop, urging the bullets downwards. The bullets may come out from thebottom of the magazine and discharge upon the flanges I2 of the tubularmember I2. The tubular member I2 extends from a rear position beneaththe magazine 29 to a front position adjacent the conveying element 24.mounted within the butt ID. The carrier element I3 is also of tubularformation and is arranged within the tubular member I2 so as to beslidably supported. The pawls I4 have blunt forward ends so that theymay engage against the rear ends of the bullets to move them forwards.

The repercussion shuttle I1 is provided with a grip finger 39secured'upon one side thereofand having a portion 39 extending across aportion of the front of the shuttle and adapted to engage the rear head3I formed upon the rear end of the shuttles. It is this flexible finger39 which draws a fired shell out from the gun barrel when the shuttlemoves rearwards. A pin 40 is arranged upon the face of one of the innerwalls of the gun case and when the shuttle I1 travels rearwards thispin40 passes through a groove 4| in the side of the shuttle I I and strikesagainst one side of the rear end of the fired shell, pivoting the shelllaterally as indicated by thedot and dash lines 37 in Fig. 2, free fromthe shuttle. The side wall of the gun butt I0 is formed with an opening43 through the pivoted shell discharges and falls to the ground.

The means for advancing the carrier element I 3 includes the said rackfinger 22 and a pinion 44 rotatively supported within the gun butt andmeshing with the teeth of the rack finger. This rack finger has an armportion 22 which is disposed in the path of motion of the shuttle. Fromthe arm 22 there projects an arcuate portion 22 It is this rack portion22 which meshes with the pinion 44. The pinion'44 is fixedly connectedcoaxially with a gear 45. This gear meshes with a carrier rack 46supported by several pins 4'! which extend through a slot 48 in the sideof the tubular member I2. These pins 41 are fixedly connected with thecarrier element I3, consequently the carrier will be moved, indirectly,when the rack finger 22 is moved by the shuttle I1.

The conveying element 24 is adapted to normally maintain a position inline with the tubular member I2. This position is maintained because thecam element 26 which is mounted upon the side of the conveying element24, engages the bottomof the shuttle I1. When the shuttle II moves toits rearward position indicated by the dot and dash lines IT in Fig. 7,and the full lines in Fig. 13, the conveying element 24 will move to araised position shown in Fig. 13. The shuttle element I1 is formed witha cam surface I'I (see Fig. 13) which is adapted to engage againstthecam element 26 when the shuttle moves forwards, to move the conveyingelement 24 down to its original normal position. A spring 49 is arrangedcoaxially upon the pintle 23 and has one of its ends engaging the arm 22of the rack finger 22 for urging the rack finger upwards to its originalnormal position when the shuttle I1 moves for- Wards.

The firing mechanism for the gun, controlled 75' The tubular member isfixedly I by the trigger 50, is not shown ohthedraWings since it formsno part of the invention, and-is old in the art. Heretofore many gunshave been made which haverepercussion shuttles to pull the bullets outfrom the gun barrel, and with which trigger operated firing mechanismhas been included.

The operation of the device as follows:-'

Assuming the gun is in the position shown in Fig. 1 and a loadedmagazine is inserted into I the open end of the butt. This done byengaging the ribs 38 into the grooves 3! and manually slid ing it inwarduntil it contracts the spring 32 and will force it into theend of thebarrel to load the gun for firing. When the rack finger 22 returns toits normal position the carrier element moves back to its normal positon to receive another bullet from the magazine which has already fallenupon the flanges i2 The chief advantage of this construction is that nobullet is on the con- "being fired thus avoiding the danger of bulletveyin'g element while the bullet inthe'barrel is exploding within thegun butt while one shell is moved upwards to its raised position.

being fired. It is believed that the elapsing time while magazines arebeing changed is sufficient to permit the chamber in the gun butt tocool off to prevent the accidental discharging of bullets.

Assume the gun in the condition shown in Figs. 1 and 7. When the triggerEll is pulled the firing pin (not shown) will strike the rear of thebullet and cause it to discharge. The repercussion of the explosion willsend the shuttle rearwards. The shuttle will move the rack finger 22downwards. This motion will be transmitted by the pinion 44, the gear45, the rack and the pins 41, to move the carrier element It forwards.The bullet 31 at the forward end of the flanges 52* will be forced uponthe conveying element 24,

and all other bullets upon the flanges Ill will be forced one positionforward. They will maintain these positions because of the stop elementsIB A bullet from the magazine 2? will fall downwards upon the tubularmember ii, at the rear end thereof, to take the place of the bulletwhich has been forced upon the conveying element 24.

When the shuttle i1 reaches it rearwards position, the cam element 25will have been fully released and the conveying element 24 will have Atthis moment the fired shell will be knocked free from the shuttle i! bythe pin Q 3, and will fall out through the opening 43. This immediatelyreleases the pin 4! which will be forced forwards j by the spring 28 andwhich will start the new bullet into the barrel.

7 next bullet. The forward motion of the shuttle I! also released therack finger 22 which is then moved upward by the spring 49. This causesthe gear Mto rotate in the reverse and to indirectly move the carrierelement I3 rearwards back to its original position. The bullets upon theflanges lz 'will remain stationary, while the pawls I l duck beneaththem during the rearward motion of the carrier element l3. Then in thecompleted rearward position, the pawls it will move upwards behind thebullets. The device is now ready torepeat its operation.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of myinvention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved toall'chang es and modifications coming within the scope of the inventionas defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim 'as new, and desire tosecure by United States Letters Patent is:--

31. In a gun, a hollow butt and barrel connected therewith, a carrierelement within said within said butt adapted to be acted upon by saidshuttle, to periodically advance said carrier element'to move saidbullets toward said barrel, comprising a rack attached to said carrierelement a pinion rotatively mounted in said gun butt, a gearifixedlyconnected coaxial with said pinion and meshing with the teeth on saidrack, and'a'rackfinger pivotally mounted in said butt and extending inthe path traversed by said shuttle when it moves rear-wards and havingteeth meshing with said pinion, whereby said shuttle is forced rearwardsby a fired shell to depress said rack finger to rotate said pinion andgear to move said rack which in turn advances the bullets on saidcarrier element.

2. In a gun, a hollow butt and barrel connected therewith, a' carrierelement within said hollow butt for advancing bullets toward saidbarrel, a repercussion shuttle connected with said barrel for firingsaid bullets, and means within said butt adapted to be acted upon bysaid shuttle to periodically advance said carrier element to move saidbullets toward said barrel, comprising a rack attached to said carrierelement, a pinion rotatively mounted in said gun butt, a gear fixedlyconnected coaxial with said pinion and meshing with the teeth on saidrack, and a rack finger pivotally mounted in said butt and extending inthe path traversed by said shuttle when it moves rearwards and havingteeth meshing with said pinion, whereby said shuttle is forced rearwardsby a fired shell to depress said rack finger to rotate said pinion andgear to move said rack which in turn advances the bullets on saidcarrier element, said rack finger comprising an arm portion having oneof its ends pivotally mounted in said hollow butt, and an arcuateportion extending at right angles from the other end of said arm,portion, and teeth formed on the inner edge of said arcuate portion andmeshing with the teeth on said pinion.

3. In a device of the class described, a carrier system, comprising atubular member for extending along the bottom side of a hollow gun buttand having an open top slot and an elongated side slot, flange portionsextending upward from said tubular member on either side of said topslot for supporting bullets, a carrier element slidably mounted withinsaid tubular member, pins extending from the side of said carrierelement and through said elongated side slot, a carrier 1 rack mountedon said pins, means engaging said carrier rack to move said rack whichin turn moves said carrier element, and means on said carrier elementfor urging said bullets along said tubular member when said carrierelement is moved by said first-mentioned means.

4. In a device of the class described, a carrier system, comprising atubular member for extending along the bottom side of a hollow gun buttand having an open top slot and an elongated side slot, flange portionsextending inward from said tubular member on either side of said topslot for supporting bullets, a carrier element slidably mounted withinsaid tubular member, pins extending from the side of said carrierelement and through said elongated side slot, a carrier rack mounted onsaid pins, means engaging said carrier rack to move said rack which inturn moves said carrier element, and means on said carrier element forurging said bullets along said tubular member when said carrier elementis carrier element moves back to its normal posi tion.

5. In a device of the class described, a carrier 1 system, comprising atubular member for extending along the bottom side of a hollow gun buttand having an open top slot and an elongated side slot, flange portionsextending upward from said tubular member on either side of said topslot for supporting bullets, a carrier element slidably mounted withinsaid tubular member, pins extending from the side of said carrierelement and through said elongated side slot, a carrier rack mounted onsaid pins, means engaging said carrier rack to move said rack which inturn moves said carrier element, and means on said carrier element forurging said bullets along said tubular member when said carrier elementis moved by said first-mentionedrmeans, said lattermentioned meanscomprising, a plurality of spaced pawls pivotally mounted within saidcarrier'element and engaging one end of said bullets to ad-- vance saidbullets along said tubular member when said carrier element is moved,and flexible lugs stamped from one of said flanges and being of asuflicient resiliency to permit said bullets to advance and to act asstops to prevent said pawls from retracting said bullets when saidcarrier element moves back to its normal position, springs actingbetween said pawls and the bottom Wall of said carrier element to urgesaid pawls to their raised positions.

JAMES THOMAS.

